


Dr. Pepper Snow Cone

by Arsenic



Series: Discipline and Punish [20]
Category: Bandom, My Chemical Romance
Genre: Alternate Universe - Prison, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-10-27
Updated: 2007-10-27
Packaged: 2020-03-29 09:33:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19017199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arsenic/pseuds/Arsenic
Summary: Three visitations.





	Dr. Pepper Snow Cone

In the third week of his stay at Linda's--Mikey hadn't wanted to call her anything so informal, but she'd been pretty insistent--Matt came by to visit. Mikey had been keeping up with his parole checks by way of phone, so Matt knew about all the drama that had ensued around Mikey's sickness, but they hadn't seen each other since before Mikey's impromptu hospital stay.

Linda answered the door even though Mikey knew Matt was coming and had planned to get it. He was still moving pretty slowly, so she beat him to things all the time. Then she scolded him for exerting himself. Mikey heard them saying hello and introducing themselves as he was making it to the front door. He said, "Hi."

Matt said, "I brought orange juice," and hefted a glass bottle. "The real stuff. My uncle has orange trees."

That was all he had to say for Mikey to be apologizing abjectly. "I'm sorry, I'm really, really, sorry, I know I shouldn't have lied and I hope you're not in trouble, because it was nothing to do with you and--"

"Breathe, Mikey," Matt said, and yeah, okay, Mikey was coughing. Matt handed the bottle of orange juice to Linda and worked on helping Mikey to the couch. Once he was there Matt rubbed his back until he started breathing somewhat clearly again. Matt said, "I'm not in trouble and while I'm not happy that you lied, you weren't doing anything with the intention of harming someone else, so I wasn't mad."

"Still sorry," Mikey wheezed out.

"You're forgiven, on the condition that you forgive me for never checking out what you were telling me. Like it's my job to do."

Mikey shrugged. "You're busy."

Matt shook his head. "That's really not an excuse."

All Mikey could say though, was, "I wasn't mad either."

"You know I can't let you go back to living in an abandoned building, right?"

Mikey bit the inside of his cheek. "I'll go back to the Y. Promise."

"Like hell you will," Linda said, setting three glasses of orange juice on the coffee table. "You hated that place enough that you preferred vagrancy to staying there."

Mikey was tired again, he was always tired, but getting up to come in here and Matt's apology and having to return said apology had been a lot for one day. He didn't want to have to explain that now there were hospital bills on top of everything else and it was winter and nobody was going to want to rent to him anymore than anybody had before. Instead he just said, "Well, we'll see when I'm better." It felt like it was going to be forever, but if the doctor's predictions were right, it should only be a week or two, now that he was able to get up and get around on his own without collapsing and/or dying. He reached out to one of the glasses and took a sip, pulling up a smile for both Matt and Linda. "Wow, that's really good."

"He's not going back there, and that's final," Linda said. "He's staying here with me."

Mikey nearly dropped the glass. "Linda--"

"Shut it, Mikey. You've been here almost three weeks and I'm a mom, I know how to get information out of young men like Ryan and Jon and Spencer and even Brian. You've hospital bills like crazy and Brian's practically frantic about the state of your salary. The only solution to your problem is to stay here for free until you get the bills paid and then start pitching in for rent and utilities. Besides, do you have any idea how completely pissed Frank would be if I let you go back to the Y? I'm not ruining my relationship with my son for the sake of your pride, Michael James Way."

Mikey blinked. He didn't even remember telling Linda his middle name; or Frank, for that matter. Matt laughed. "I think I know who's gonna win this one."

Mikey took a slow sip of his orange juice and said, "Brian shouldn't be so worried. I've-- I wasn't paying rent at all for a couple of months there, and the state gave me some start up money when I was first released, the point is, I don't think it will take me _too_ long to pay off the hospital."

"Excellent, then I'll have unexpected help on my rent sooner rather than later."

"Linda--" Mikey started.

"This isn't up for discussion, Mikey. I'm sorry, it's just really not. You need somewhere to stay, I need someone to bitch to when I come home from work, I'm using you for my own nefarious purposes, the end. You'll have to accept it and come to terms with it."

"And when Gee gets out?"

Linda sighed. "Then I suppose I'll have to surrender you. But don't think you're getting out of coming over to dinner once a week, because I will hunt you down, young man, hunt you to the ends of the earth like the troublemaker you are."

Mikey hid a smile. "Yes, ma'am."

She smacked him lightly upside the head. He corrected, "Linda."

"Better," she said. She looked at Matt's empty glass and asked, "More OJ?"

Matt held his glass out promptly and said, "Please," polite as hell. Linda went off to pour him some.

Matt whispered, "Whoa."

Mikey nodded and said, just as quietly, "I think I'm staying here."

"Yeah," Matt said. And, "whoa," again.

 

*

Jon showed up two days later with a box wrapped in brightly colored paper and an uncertain look on his face. Linda was at work, so it took Mikey a while to make it to the door and let Jon in, but he managed by himself. He even got to the couch without passing out from exhaustion, although, once he was there it was a close thing. Jon set the box on the coffee table and said, "Sorry, sorry, this is a bad time."

Mikey shook his head. "No, hey, no." He let himself breathe for a bit and then said, "Thanks for coming."

"I, uh. I brought you a housewarming gift. Ryan and Spencer said that you said that you were going to be staying here, so I thought it was appropriate." Jon smiled his slightly-goofy smile, the one that Mikey was always hard-pressed not to smile back at.

"You shouldn't have," Mikey said. "You kinda saved my life."

Jon laughed a little and looked to the side. Mikey said, "No, seriously."

Jon shrugged. "I just like showing people the inside of my car. You gonna open my gift?"

Mikey looked at the box for a moment before reaching out and pulling it onto his lap. He plucked carefully at the places where paper was taped together. Jon said, "Uh, I just had the lady at the store wrap it. I'm crap at that sort of thing. It won't offend me if you rip it."

Mikey said, "You mean 'get the hell on with it'?"

"Sort of," Jon admitted.

"No," Mikey said, rolling his eyes. "Gee was always impatient, too."

"Gee-- That's your brother, right?"

Mikey nodded, but didn't say anything.

"Why didn't you-- I mean, we already knew you'd--" Jon sighed.

Mikey concentrated hard on the corner of tape he was pulling up. "It's just hard to talk about him when he's not here. I really miss him."

"Him and Frank," Jon said softly, with a hint of something Mikey couldn't exactly read.

Mikey nodded. He carefully extracted the box from the paper and was glad when Jon seemingly let the issue go. He looked at the picture on the front of the box and blinked. "Um."

Jon said, "To be honest, I wasn't really sure what someone gets as a housewarming gift. This is kind of my favorite thing that I have in my house. Seemed like the sort of thing everyone needs."

"Oh," Mikey said, and nodded like that made sense, that the [Snoopy Snow Cone Maker](http://www.80stees.com/images/products/Peanuts_Snoopy-Snow_Cone_Maker.jpg) could be an item of utter necessity in anyone's life.

"My favorite flavor is lime, but Ryan and Spencer stand by Dr. Pepper as a way of life. It's really sort of up to you. I know winter's coming on, but summer will come again, and you'll want some flavored ice in your life, I promise."

Mikey said, "I love 'Peanuts'." He did, too. Gerard also did, even if he never admitted it. Cartoons weren't comics and Gerard could be a little bit elitist about it, but they had both read all of the library's _Peanuts_ books a million times over as children.

Jon grinned. "Awesome. Snoopy?"

"Best dog," Mikey agreed, "but I always liked Linus."

"Underappreciated genius," Jon said.

"Like Gee," Mikey told him, and all but hugged him when he didn't press for details.

 

*

On the first Sunday where he could viably make it to the prison and back, Linda said, "Come on, time to go see our boys."

Mikey was used to taking the bus to and from the prison, so it was odd to get in a car and go straight there without stops. It didn't give him as much time to get ready. He watched out the window, clutching the stuffed cat Linda had found him for Gerard. He was pretty sure it was a leopard, but it was _close_ to a jaguar, which was evidently what Gerard kept drawing. At a light, Linda reached over and rubbed the back of his neck. He gave her a smile as best he could and went back to staring at the scenery.

The guard who took their presents and inspected them said, "Hey, Mikey, haven't seen you in a while."

"I got sick," Mikey said softly.

"Oh, that sucks man. Glad you're feeling better."

"Thanks," Mikey said and sat down to wait. It was a good ten minutes before he was called to a window and another few before Gerard sat down across from him.

Gerard grinned so hard it swallowed his entire face. "Hi."

Mikey pressed his fingers to the glass. "Hi, Gee. Missed you."

Gerard fit his fingers to where they would have been touching Mikey's. His grin faded. Mikey said, "I--" but didn't know exactly what the end of the thought was. They had been writing letters, but it had been clear how much Gerard wasn't saying, all the things he was keeping until he could see Mikey in front of him. "You mad?"

Gerard shook his head slowly. "Just-- When did we start lying to each other, Mikey?"

Mikey frowned. "I-- Don't you-- I mean, aren't there things you don't tell me? So I won't worry?"

"But it wasn't-- It wasn't just you not telling me. You told me you were at the Y. You--"

All Mikey could say was, "I didn't want you to worry."

Gerard's lower lip trembled. "But I can't help if I don't know. Did you-- Did you think I wouldn't be able to help? Was it--"

"I didn't think. No, no, Gee, I just. I didn't think. It wasn't like that at all, it wasn't. I swear."

"I would have helped. I would have found a way."

Mikey nodded fervently. "I should have told you. I should have. I will, if I-- I will, from now on."

Gerard tilted his head. "Double pinky swear?"

Mikey smiled a little. That was their special way of promising each other, ever since Mikey was five. "Double pinkies. You know I can't go back on that."

"You'd better not."

Mikey shook his head. That sort of thing was punishable by disownment. He said, "I brought you a stuffed cat."

"Mikey, um--"

"Bob'll protect you," Mikey said, believing it staunchly.

After a second, Gerard grinned again. "Probably. He likes cats."

"Really?" Mikey asked.

"Something like that," Gerard said.

Mikey thought about it for a second and then smiled himself. "Oh."


End file.
